Improvement in handle for weight-lifting apparatus



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FRANK W. REILLY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

Lener.; Parent No. 90,305, dated May 1s, 1869.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making pax-t of the same.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK W. REILLY, of the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented new aud useful Improvements iu Handles or Grasping-Pieces for Lifting; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a front view of the handle or graspingpiece in its attachment.

Figure 2 is an end view of the same, showing the position of the hand grasping the handle.

My invention consists of 'an improved form of handle or grasping-piece, designed to facilitate the practice of lifting weights, either as a gymnastic or hygienic exercise, or for any other purpose in which it is desired to raise or move heavy bodies; and inv order to make it clearly understood, I shall first proceed to describe the common construction of handles or graspingpieces heretofore `in use for such purposes, and shall then point out the nature of my improvements.

The handles or grasping-pieces heretofore used consist essentially of pieces of wood or other suitable material, variously shaped, as, for` instance, a round bar or rod covered with rope, twine, &c., as used in ordinary gymnasiums, or with several angular surfaces and edges, as made by Curtis & Babcock, of New York city, or carved out of wood, as in the lifting-bar patented by D. P. Butler, of Boston, Massachusetts; but all of these agree in relying upon theprehensile strength of the iingers for the hold, and special apparatus has been devised for educating the grasping-power of thev fingers, so that the benecial eects of exercise, by lifting, might be obtained.

Gymnasts, and those interested in physical culture,

`and others, have thus made numberless experiments with the view of securing the form of handles or grasping-piece best adapted for lifting-purposes.

Moulds of the grasping hand, in plaster, wax, guttapercha, papfiwdmache, 8vo., have been taken, in order to secure perfect coaptation'of the surfaces of the hand and the grasping-piece or handle; but, as before stated, the principle in each and all of these experiments has been the same, namely, reliance upon the prehensile power, and transmission of the pressure mainly to the bony lingers, causing, usually, painful callouses, bruises, and abrasions, and thus debarring a large class of the community, whose hands are not developed and hardened by manual labor, from this kind of exercise.

The object of my improvement is to avoid these disadvantages and objections, and so to make the lifting of weights, either for gymnastic or hygienic exercise, or for other purposes, more widely available.

To accomplish this result, I construct handles of such size and general conformation, as that the whole palmar-surface of the hand, from its junction with the wrist to the tips of the ngers, shall be accommodated thereon, thus insuring the greatest possiblelfrictionsurface, and distributing the surface over the greatest space.

These handles are secured in suitable sockets, or otherwise connected with the weights to be moved, at such an angle from the vertical line as that, when grasped and traction made upon them, the greatest amount of the pressure is received upon the upper cushions of the hand, and the least upon the (more body fingers, thus reversing the distribution of pressure in the modes and construction of handles heretofore used, avoiding the necessity for special education of the prehensile power, by which the flexibility and delicacy of touch,essential to artists, musicians, and others, is destroyed, and preventing the formation of painful callouses, &c.

I construct the grasping-piece A of wood, iron, or any other suitable mateiial, with the general shape and configuration as shown, and provided with lugs 'or shoulders B, by which the handle may be secured in a suitable socket, C. I

The back of the grasping-piece is constructedwith an inclination from the vertical line, as shown at D D.

I have contemplated attaching such grasping-pieces to the extremities of a lifting-bar, for use inweightlifting apparatus. Also,'the making such pieceswith suitable attachments, .either fixed or detachable, for

lifting or moving express-safes, trunks, or other .heavy l bodies.

I have also thought of making the inclination of said grasping-pieces adjustable'4 by means of a setscrew, wedge, or other device.

What I claim as my own invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The construction of handles or grasping-pieces with surfaces adapted to the entire palm of the hand and l ngers, at such an inclination from the line of traction as shall throw the greatest pressure upon the upper fleshy cushions of the hands, and the least upon the bony fingers, substantially as has been described.

FRANK W. REILLY.

Witnesses:

A. G. WILKINSON, vW. F. Honoris. 

